Audiphone-transmitter.



Patented Jan- 721-5? P-M mit Mw writ m eases:

understood in the course of the following description, taken with reference to the accom unir-ED sTArEsPiB-nnr OFFICE.-

GHARLES E. wiiiLiAMs, or NATreK, MASSACHUSETTS.

4 AUDIPHONE-TRANSMITTER.

spe'ciacation of Letters Patent Patented Jan. 2e, 1909.

Application led August 6, 1907; Serial No. 387,317.

To all whomt't ma .concerna- Beit known t at1I, .CHAR,LEs E. WIL- LrAM s',xa citizen of the United States, yand resident of Natick, in the county of Middlevented an Improvement 'in Audiphone- Transmitters, ofwhich the following description, in connection VWith the accompanying drawings', is a specification, like letters `on the drawings representing like parts.- f

This invention hasfor its primary object the securing of 4more'pronounced articulation in this class of'gin'struments; Valso the pre- -ferred mechanicalembodiment of the invention .renders the same. comparativelyl inexpensivejto make, and very diicultto get out of orderl and to be tampered with.

Incarryin'g out my invention, I suspendl theinstrument proper in front of a sounding board, therebynot only' getting'ridof the' -deadening or soundreducing effect of Ithe clothing of' th'e wearer on the clearn'ess of the sound which results from resting the instru# "ment directly against the clothing as is comv sound by provi .the instrument JF .Y neit-ts the lsounltling mon, -but obtaining an amplifying of the ding a resilient suspension of his construction also conboard in such a manner with the instrument as "to still further sharpen the articulation, and also to render it practically impossible for the ordinary user yto tamperwith the instrument or take vit apart.

i The cons'tructional detailsand further advantages of my invention will be more fully panying drawings, in which I have shown a preferred embodiment ofthe invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation, partly broken away, my com plete instrument; Fig'. 2 is a back view there- `of in elevation g" Fig. 3 1s a front View thereof;

Figs. 4 and 5 are bottom plan viewssliowine' 'parts section Fig. 6 is a vertical sectiona l view; Fig. 7 vshows the inside of the back in 1 elevation; and Fig. '8 shows in perspective a modiiied application of the invention. Y

In carrying out my invention, it 'will be understood that most of the features may be applied to various kinds of instruments, but for clearness of illustration I have shown and will describe my invention in all'the details of the preferred com lete instrument. As theinternal constructional details of the instrument are not herein' claimed, being elsewhere claimed in my. copending application therev for, I Will brieiiy.` explain that the instrument proper consists oft diaphragm 1, carbon but.- 'i

ton2' containing perforations 3 and granular circuit-closers or carbon electrodes 4, held in vby a gauze'barrier or Wall5 'and retaining aratus are integral with ea'clffj other, beiner ormedv out of a single'strip vor sheet of hat rubber. The lback 11 is herein shown as perforated at 13 to afford means for fastening it to-a pocket battery er a support or the like, an at the lower ends' I have .provided means in the form of'eofrds 14 connected at 15 to the bottom' end eff the front 9 to held the 'more orv less sprin'gy neck-piece sliepen sion-means 12 and back 11 to'the'instrument proper, so .as to prevent theirv being breken or 'snapped in two by an attempted sprin'iug he ofther'ri apart by a 'curious person. sounding board projectsbeyond the ins-'erwment proper at its edgesl, so as to receive or collect the sound, as shown in Fig. 5, and, in theinore complete form of my inventio 'shown in Fig. 4, sides 17 are provide d for/ r instrument, open' at its front for the free admission of the sound waves which strike against the soundin board 11 at the back of the instrument, an are vdiverted therefrom against the diaphragm 1. By this means I am enabledto collect the sound better and morefully. This feature of my invention may be carried out in a variety of ways, one further species of which is s own in my copending application Serial No. 387,318. In an audiphone transmitter it is desirable to ing a vcupshape'dsoundreceiving portion forming an annular air space .18 about the collect all-the sound, difering in that respect I fro'ma telephone, in which it is desirable to exclude all the sound (except that spoken directly vagainst the diaphragm itself.) Bv omitting the retaining means 14, 15, it will be observed that the 'sounding board may readily be separated suiliciently to allow the battery holding portion (provided the battery be connected as above stated) .to be placed in the vest pocket with the sounding board to act merely as a support, in Iwhich case I obtain a portion only of the advan- 'tages of the invention, v1z. the suspension tiona concave surface, nor do I restrict myselff 1n all lnstancesl to having the instrument front andsounding board integrally connected, as the instrument may be detachably connected to the sounding board as in said application.l` By. having the parts connected integrally by the' bent neck 12 I obtain sevl eral other definite advantages, one being that then bend the sounding board or back 11 to the exactposition desired for the best revpose above mentioned.

the position ofthe instrument may be varied from a vertical to any other angleby bending the yoke-like connection, thereby conforming to the particular angle required according tothe build or form of the user wearing it. It is very essential in ear-phone transmitters that the instrument be maintained at the pro er angle so as to keep the granular' electro es in the best working orderl 'Another vand principal advantage of the construction shown is that it .effectuallyprevents tampering with the instrument. I secure the front 9 by rivets 19, and by havingl the sounding board 11 and yoke 12 formed of hard rubber, it is a simple matter to heat the yoke 12, afterthe instrument has all becas; llnbled and adjusted accurately in the iactory, and

sults, and permit'the yoke 12 to harden or set in that position. The general user, therefore, even though curious, cannot discover any means for enabling him to get accessto the instrument, and hence the latter is left unmolestecli This same heating of the vulcanized yoke 12is the means which I prefer to employ for changing the relative angle or position ofthe sound ngboard for the pur- The area of resilient material exposed to rthe sound waves adds greatly -to the soundamplifying lpower of :the instrument. By having the exposed. side of they diaphragm placed only a short distance from-the back section of thesounding board, but not directly secured thereto, the sound is intensiiied Aand rendered clearer than would .otherwise I a dii'ierent tone is b'e rthe case, and when the backsection or v sounding board is made cup-shaped and of slightly greater diameter than the iront part,

produced and an extremely cle-ar articulation.

In Fig.,- 8 I have! shown. my invention ada* ted to use for churches'or theaters and the ike,'having mounted a plurality oijinstruments on a single large sounding board 20, whereby the sound deiiection is -greatlyinthe instrument. i v

It will be evident 'to those skilled in the art that the-features herein disclosed are capable creased, thereby adding stillfurther to the 'clearness of the articulation transmitted by of a wide application' to ear-phonetransmitters of different kinds.

Having described my invention, what I l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,"is:

1. In an apparatus of the kind described, a sound-transmitting instrument, and a resilient back and suspension piece connected therewith, said instrument hang beneath aidl suspension piece close to vsilt-lijd resilient ac r.

2. In an apparatus of the kind described, a sound-transmitting instrument, a sounding board at the back thereof separated/therefrom by an intervening space, and a normally rigid suspension yoke extending from said sounding board and connected rigidly with' said instrument. 3. In an apparatus of the kind described, a sound-transmitting instrument, a sounding board at the back thereof separated therefrom by an intervening space, and 'an adjustable suspension yoke. extending from said sounding board and connected rig-idly with said instrument, 4. In an apparatus oi the kind described, a sound-transmitting instrument opening rearwardly, a separated back piece substan- .tially covering the open rear end of said instrument and suilicientlyv close thereto to 4prevent ready access thereto, and a rigid yoke holdingxthe instrument and back in fixed relation. 'i l ,5. In an apparatus of the kind described,

a sound-transmitting instrument o 'ening rearwardly, a separated'back piece su .stantially covering the open rear end of said in- 'strumentand suiiiciently'close theretoV to prevent ready access thereto, and a rigid yoke holding the, vinstrument and back in fixed relation, said yoke being com osed of material capable of being rendere temporarily pliant forichanging the adjustment of said back and instrument withrelation `to each other.y e 1 6. In an apparatus of the/kind described, a sound-transmitting instrument, and a separated sounding boardtherefor at. the rear vthereof projecting at its edges slightly bef yond said instrumenttocatchiand deflect arated soundin board therefor at Athe rear 'thereof projecting at its edges 'slightly beyond sind instrument to catch and deflect the sound and having, forwardlyprojecting sides substantiallyV em racing the mstrument the instrument -for receiving the sound to be deiected by the plane surface of said sound.- ing boardA to the instrument proper, said air space being uninterrupted about the instru` mentland coextensive with the back and sides thereof and said'sounding board being Without rigid support excepting at one side.

8.l In an instrumentof the kind described, a sound-transmit instrument, and a. sounding board there or at the rear thereof projecting at its edges slightly beyond said instrument to catch and deiiect the sound and having supporting connection with saidv instrument at one side only of the latter7 and 4 affording an intervening and uninterru ted air space entirely across the back side o the instrument. affording 'a slight intervening air space -about In testimony whereof, I have' signed my name to'this specification, in the presence of 30 two subscribing Witnesses.

v CHARLES E. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

GEO. IPLMAXWELL,

M. J. SPALDING. 

